Ronnie's Blog | Ben's NY Kosher Deli | New York & Florida
April 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications(4/8/2024)-This April 4th, my wife Cindy and I were married for 48 years. People have asked what the reason was for our successful marriage. Well, I answer them this way: on our 25th anniversary Cindy and I went to Beijing, China. So what are you doing for your 48th anniversary to which I answer jokingly … Continue reading "April 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
March 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications(3/6/2024)-As we March on in this very uncertain world, I am pleased to announce my long-awaited, long-delayed semi-retirement from Ben’s. Yes, you heard it right — I’m finally taking a step back. At the age of 75, I’ve decided it’s time to let others take the reins while I sip my diet cokes and watch … Continue reading "March 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
February 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications(2/6/2024)-When I first entertained entering this business, I thought about the ways I could revolutionize the kosher deli business that had remained unchanged since the 1920’s. And I did! I was a 24 year-old idealistic kid from Queens County in New York City and am now entering my 76th year on this earth. Now bent … Continue reading "February 2024 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
December 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(12/6/2023)-December is a wonderful month where all religions and ethnicities celebrate their respective holidays, whether it is Chanukah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa. We are preparing to meet the demands of holiday parties and holiday catering. We will have Lotsa Latkes (lotsa latkes, lotsa flavors) and want everyone to know that we will have our yearly special … Continue reading "December 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
November 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(11/1/2023)-Thanksgiving is almost upon us along with the change in the clocks and colder weather… For me it is the signaling of the end of greenery and the beginning of fall foliage. Time to get out our winter jackets, sweaters, boots … and hopefully not shovels … to accommodate the weather changes. Not only it … Continue reading "November 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
July 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(7/3/2023)-Do any of our patrons remember S & H green stamps? I still remember my mom’s infatuation with these little stamps (emulating the U.S. postage stamp); she couldn’t wait until she got home from the grocery store to put the stamps in her S & H book so she could redeem them for what she … Continue reading "July 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
June 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(6/1/2023)-When I was growing up, I witnessed many historical events that shaped the world. I saw Khrushchev’s shoe-banging stunt at the UN, and the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK. I lived through the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, and the war in Afghanistan. Nowadays, I feel like I’m in a cowboy … Continue reading "June 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
May 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(5/2/2023)-Ben’s has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When our family moved to Long Island and my mother opened her bookstore a few doors down from the original Baldwin Harbor location, our family became instant regulars at Ben’s. Dine-in, take-out, and holidays were all Ben’s. If my mother wasn’t … Continue reading "May 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
March 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(3/2/2023)-As Ben’s just completed our 50thAnniversary in business, I have to say that the customer’s responses have been heartwarming. Given the Pandemic, the turbulent world in which we now find ourselves, the supply chain shortages and the escalating cost of goods, I believe the worst is behind us; I am looking forward with a renewed … Continue reading "March 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
February 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications(2/3/2023)-Some of you may be familiar with me as I have helped lots of our loyal customers with questions regarding our Ben’s Friends’ Rewards program. My name is Al Olle and I oversee all things marketing and loyalty. I have been with Ben’s for 12 years; I started my path here as a server, shortly thereafter … Continue reading "February 2023 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
November 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(11/4/2022)-My name is Todd Silverstein and I am the Chief Operating Officer of the Ben’s Restaurant Group. I have worked closely with Ronnie for over thirty years during which time he has been both a good friend and invaluable mentor. I began this journey in the Walt Whitman Mall where Ronnie built a Ben’s Express … Continue reading "November 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
October 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(10/3/2022)-In over thirty years in writing for the hard copy Deli E Newsletter, and now the monthly On-line Newsletter, I’ve pretty much exhausted my interesting and funny stories, celebrations, and memories. Nothing in college, nothing in the streets of New York City, and nothing in my prior life experiences could have prepared me for the … Continue reading "October 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
August 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(8/2/2022)-As you may know, we are celebrating our 50th year in business, and our 40th year in Greenvale where we will be having a ribbon cutting ceremony in October of this year with our vendors, our key employees (although one could argue all of our employees are key and an integral part of our success over … Continue reading "August 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
July 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(7/5/2022)-Once again, I’ve been given the monthly task of writing a blog for the E Deli Newsletter … so after about twenty years of writing this monthly piece, I was bereft of ideas. Then, suddenly, I realized that it is July 4th and what better topic than that of our founding fathers. Men (and women) … Continue reading "July 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
June 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(6/6/2022)-Did we really get through this past winter? It felt like it would never end … Then two 90-degree days in a row. The transition from winter to spring is much like life. You never know what to expect or what will happen next. So, where do we stand? The cost of gas is through … Continue reading "June 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
May 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(5/4/2022)-April showers bring May flowers. So how is this related to Ben’s? Well, we will be finished in May with our renovation of our Greenvale flagship location … so as the flowers bloom the newly renovated Ben’s will as well. It is a true labor of love as we emerge from the darkness of the … Continue reading "May 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
April 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(4/5/2022)-The Year is 2022. The Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen Journey began in 1972. A half century ago and at the same time as: 5 White House operatives were arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the start of the Watergate Scandal. The United States and Soviet Union signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. 11 Israel … Continue reading "April 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
March 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(3/2/2022)-GUEST BLOG by Rabbi Paul Plotkin, Rav Hamachshir (Supervising Rabbi) of Ben’s Is it important for Ben’s to be kosher? Not really, if you have no sense of the Jewish community, but that has never been Ronnie’s way. Ronnie understood that the synagogue and the deli were two of the institutions that Jews came to, … Continue reading "March 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
February 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(2/1/2022)-It is cold outside, the world is still reeling from the effects of Covid, and I am still trying with our executive team to navigate staffing shortages, inflation and supply chain issues. We are paying 30% to 40% more for meat, poultry, paper, plastic, aluminum, etc. The instability of the marketplace is witnessed as daily … Continue reading "February 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
January 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications(1/3/2022)-Wow! The year is 1972 when a young man decides that a kosher delicatessen is to be his calling. The year is 2022 when an older man, but one who is still young at heart, celebrates that kosher delicatessen’s Golden Anniversary. Where did the 50 years go? How did we survive and become one of … Continue reading "January 2022 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
November 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(10/27/2021)-Wow, it’s November already. I guess the cows are elated and rejoicing while the turkeys are seeing their futures come crashing down but no worry; we know at least one will be spared courtesy of a Presidential pardon. So what am I thinking about as we head towards the year 2022 which will be a … Continue reading "November 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
October 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(10/4/2021)-After forty-nine years in the delicatessen-restaurant business, dealing with vendors, employees and the public, it is an understatement to say that I have been both educated and enlightened. I rarely share my innermost thoughts with the public, or really anyone except my wife, yet – as I get on in years – I find that … Continue reading "October 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
September 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(9/2/2021)-I had an epiphany recently. After viewing workers on cell phones, talking and texting, I thought our generation was better than that but then, again, most generations think that the generation that followed was less than they were. The greatest generation was clearly those who preceded the Baby Boomers of which I am one. Now … Continue reading "September 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
August 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(8/2/2021)-I am proud and excited to announce that my best daughter (my only daughter) Jaime has officially joined the Ben’s team. I always knew she had some restaurant blood coursing through her veins and have been waiting anxiously for her to decide when the time was right. I cannot think of a better time, than … Continue reading "August 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
July 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(7/2/2021)-To my dearest oldest and youngest friends and customers, we at Ben’s, thank you for helping us to continue the tradition began in October 1972. What seems like yesterday is extraordinary since it was over 48 years ago that this all began. I was a young 24 years of age then and now I am … Continue reading "July 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
June 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(6/1/2021)-So there I sat at a manager’s meeting in 2005, listening to one General Manager after another talk about online ordering. I kept thinking about what online ordering meant and if it would be a viable ordering system for our customers, especially our older patrons. I imagined they would say… what line? online where? where … Continue reading "June 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
May 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(5/3/2021)-April showers bring May flowers. And more vaccinations. And Mother’s Day. After all these years of working, interacting with our customers and employees, I have learned one important lesson. I have never stopped learning; I will continue learning until the day I pass the Ben’s torch to those younger with much more vigor. I am … Continue reading "May 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
April 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(4/7/2021)-Who would have thought that this pandemic would take more than 500,000 American lives? Who would have thought that we would need to quarantine and isolate, when those were words used to describe only those having smallpox or serving time in prison for some misdeed? Who would have thought that we had to think twice about … Continue reading "April 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
March 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(3/1/2021)-Time Marches on. As I was contemplating what to write about this month, my daughter inspired me to write about 10 things people might not know about me. She shared it on her Instagram. I thought I’d share it with you. 1) I was a VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) in Richmond, Indiana (now part of Americorps) prior … Continue reading "March 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
February 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications(2/1/2021)-As we embark on a new year we have seen rioting at the Capitol, celebrated Martin Luther King Day and inaugurated a new president… During this month of February, let’s remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Regardless of what your political beliefs are, we can all agree that hate, bigotry, and anti-Semitism do not represent … Continue reading "February 2021 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
December 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(12/1/2020)-The year was 1988. The object of my affections: a beeper. For those who don’t remember, that’s how improved communications first started… the beeper, then a plain cell phone, then the fancy flip phones… and in 2017, I surrendered to those nudging me to upgrade. So a smart phone I purchased. And three years later … Continue reading "December 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
November 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(11/1/2020)-I am sitting in my home office listening to Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, the Weavers and realizing that many of our patrons do not know or remember these traveling troubadours of years gone by. I needed a diversion. I have been spending so much time working in my home office, I asked my … Continue reading "November 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
September 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(9/1/2020)-I am imagining writing this blog in 1972 (an essay or missive back then) when this journey of mine first began. Richard Nixon was the President with the promise of ending the Vietnam War. Chaos reigned in his administration which ultimately ended in his resignation. I was struggling to pay the rent at that time; … Continue reading "September 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
August 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(8/1/2020)-I’d like to take a survey of my customers as they enter the restaurant. Here are the questions: Since the shortage of toilet paper, and a lack of brand choices, is your tuchas (rear end) more sore, less sore, or about the same? What did you do when your natural roots began showing gray? Let … Continue reading "August 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
July 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(7/1/2020)-Where have all the years gone? I began this journey as an idealistic twenty-four year old hoping to satisfy anyone and everyone. And at the beginning of this journey I did but I had this incessant need to grow the business and to build on the last accomplishment. An overwhelming need to prove myself caused … Continue reading "July 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
To Ben’s Deli Patrons(6/9/2020)-The letter below was received on Saturday, June 6th from Woolbright Development demanding the premium rents of April, May and June in the amount of $86,688.51 which is close to $30,000 per month (no small amount) without warning or discussion. Is this how a 15 year plus tenant is treated who has never missed a … Continue reading "To Ben’s Deli Patrons"
June 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(6/1/2020)-It’s amazing how species develop, evolve and are able to change their behaviors. We have all learned to adapt through this pandemic; but we will be forever changed, in one way or another, for better or worse. As June approaches this will be the end of my second month in isolation. And although I am … Continue reading "June 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
May 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(5/1/2020)-I am hoping: that the better part of the Corona virus is behind us so that we can begin anew; that most if not all of our employees will be back working sooner rather than later; that families enjoyed the best of each other if they were lucky enough to stay at home but if … Continue reading "May 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
April 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications(4/1/2020)-Here I am. In my home office. Answering customers questions, responding to Ben’s personnel, and issues that are specific to each Ben’s location. I worked up until March 20th until I had no choice but to listen to my adult children who implored me to stay home because I am in my 70’s with an underlying … Continue reading "April 2020 Ruminations & Ronnifications"
